Having just navigated the Egyptian crisis, for better or for worse, the Obama administration is currently involved in an imbroglio with Pakistan concerning the detention of Raymond Davis, an employee of a US-based security company working under a US government contract in Pakistan. Davis has been held prisoner since last month when he shot and […]
Following the initial euphoria in the U.S.about the achievement of freedom in Egypt, columnists are now warning that the medium- and long-range prognosis does not bode well – neither for Egypt, nor for the West. Writing for JewishWorldReview.com, author Prof. Waller R. Newell of Carleton University in Ottawa says that historically, “the initial reformist phase of [revolutions such […]
The leader of the secular Al-Ghad (Tomorrow) opposition party in Egypt, Ayman Nour, says that the peace agreement with Israel “has ended” and must be re-negotiated. “In practice, the Camp David agreement [of 1979, in which then-President Anwar Sadat made peace with Israel – ed.] has ended,” Dr. Nur told an interviewer on Sunday, “because it […]
Protesters took to the streets in Algeria and Yemen on Saturday, just hours after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced his resignation. In both countries, the demonstrations were shut down. In Algeria, riot police put a stop to a demonstration calling for the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Local human rights groups reported that 400 people […]
Samaria Regional Council head Gershon Mesika has appealed to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in an effort to maintain an IDF checkpoint near Shechem that has stopped dozens of terrorist attacks. Mesika warned the prime minister that his defense minister, Ehud Barak, is “irresponsible” and that his plans will lead to disaster. Barak’s decision to dismantle […]
The last chapter of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule has come to a close. But, as Heritage Vice President Kim Holmes contends in yesterday’s Washington Times, change shouldn’t end with new elections or a restructured political system. Economic liberalization must be part and parcel of the greater reform process. The protesters in Tahrir Square […]
The Times: Illustrating Israeli “Belligerency” During an “emergency tour” of the Middle East following recent regional upheaval, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague gave an interview to The Times, expressing his fears for the future of the Middle East peace process. According to The Times (subscription only): Mr Hague responded to increasingly militaristic pronouncements by Mr […]
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is slated to step down, handing power to a military junta after 16 days of demonstrations and violent riots across the country. But the next step is unclear, and it would appear that a full-scale Revolution may have begun, with strikes paralyzing the nation and tens of thousands of protesters celebrating […]
The Western world has traditionally strongly supported the process of democratization in the Middle East. However, Amos Gilad , former head of Israel’s Political-Military Bureau, believes such support can be dangerous. In the Middle East, democracy can bring into power dictatorships “that will make this area look like hell,” Gilad warned at the Herzliya Conference. […]
A probe conducted by Egypt has found that Saturday’s gas pipeline explosion was a result of terrorism. The Associated Press on Monday quoted Judge Abdel Nasser el-Tayeb, the chief investigator into the explosion in a terminal in Egypt’s northern Sinai Peninsula, who said the explosion was caused by four masked gunmen who set off a […]
